When Turtles Fly, Dreams Come True
by DamnI'mRandom
Summary: Harry proposes to Ginny in the way only he can - stumbling and fumbling! Ron, Hermione and the Weasleys in minor supporting roles. Fluff - flashes of angst in between.


**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own anything or anyone mentioned in this story, except for its idea. The song in the middle is 'Swallowed in the Sea' by Coldplay.

**A/N:** I wrote this a long time ago, but only saw fit to post this here now. So, it isn't my best work.

**When Turtles Fly, Dreams Come True**

Marriage was the last thing on Harry Potter's mind after the war against Lord Voldemort had ended. He and Ginny Weasley were in a perfectly happy relationship at the moment, thank you very much. It had been going along at a fine pace – three and a half years now. Yet, oddly enough, he found himself imagining a life with her; having kids, possibly even grandchildren…

He snapped out of it. He was wasting time and he knew it. He was here to see Arthur Weasley, Ginny's father and almost a like father to him. Ron was going to be there, as was Hermione. (They had finally realised that they loved each other, in the middle of the battle four years ago. And although there were the occasional skirmishes, they were happy together.) Ginny was the Seeker of the Holyhead Harpies and was travelling, and would be back the next day. The Harpies had won the Championship Cup for the second year in a row. He was planning to ask her once she came back, after having gained approval from Arthur and Molly, of course.

He hesitated, then knocked on the front door of the Burrow. A few moments passed before Molly Weasley opened it.

'Harry, dear! What a wonderful surprise! What brings you to our neck of the woods? Come on in, and you must tell me all about your recent adventures,' she gushed, as she ushered Harry inside. 'My goodness, you're thin as a stick! Are you sure you've been eating at all, dear? My, I'm going to have to feed you well, aren't I?'

Harry smiled; Molly would always remain the same, fussing over him like she would a child. He didn't mind, though. He knew that losing Fred had left a hole in her, one that could not be filled. He allowed himself to be coddled since having him as another son made her happier than she'd been since the night Fred had died. It was slowly helping to heal the wound, so Harry tried to squeeze in as many visits to Ottery St Catchpole as his busy Auror schedule allowed him.

There was also young Teddy Lupin, who'd been staying at the Burrow for the past two years, ever since Harry had become a full Auror. He'd hardly had the time to look after him, so he'd handed over the responsibility to Teddy's grandmother, Andromeda Tonks. Andromeda was living alone at the time (her husband, Ted, having died a year after the defeat of Voldemort), and Harry's suggestion that she come live with the Weasleys was enthusiastically taken up. Andromeda was enjoying life to the fullest, and between the two ladies, little Teddy received the love, affection and adoration of the entire Weasley/Tonks clan. Molly and Andromeda also helped support each other after their respective children's deaths.

Bill and Fleur often came over with Victoire, their three year-old daughter, from the nearby Shell Cottage, and the two toddlers had taken to each other immediately. Now, Teddy would pine if he didn't see Victoire every week, and Victoire, on her part, begged to go to the Burrow every weekend.

(They could never refuse her; she had her mother's beauty and her father's big brown eyes. This deadly combination, coupled with her cute little voice, pulled their hearts like a taffy, and they would be her slaves for as long as she commanded them.)

...

As he entered the room, Harry was met with the sight of Arthur Weasley, lounging in an armchair and sipping a mug of Gurdyroot juice (this was the Lovegoods' fault – Xenophilius had urged him to try it, and he'd been hooked ever since that magical moment).

'Harry! Good to see you again.' exclaimed Arthur. 'Come, have a seat.'

'Thanks, Mr Weasley.' No matter how many times he'd told Harry to call him Arthur, Harry had refused and had stubbornly continued calling him Mr Weasley. He'd given up trying to tell him. Harry took a chair opposite Arthur's.

'So, what brings you here?' His last visit had been two months ago, and he hadn't stayed long that time; he'd only been a few hours, since it had been Ron's birthday (he couldn't miss his best mate's 21st birthday, now could he?).

'I'm here on a mission, actually.'

'Is anything wrong? Anything we need to be worried about?' Arthur asked at once, immediately alert. That much still remained from experiencing two wars against Voldemort in two decades.

Harry laughed. 'No, there's nothing like that. It's a personal mission. Mr Weasley, I have to ask you something really important to me.'

Arthur leaned in.

'Um… er… Okay, I'm really nervous about this. So, er, you know that Gi – your daughter, and I, have been in a relationship for the past three years. During that time, I have realised that she is a very integral part of who I am, and that I love her beyond the heavens. For the last year, or so, I have been contemplating the fact that I would like to spend the rest of my life with her. Now, um, naturally, I would never go against your wishes to do anything. Er… So, I have to ask… that, um, would you… I mean, is it okay, if… er…' Harry trailed off, staring down at his shoes. _Yeah, really smooth, Potter. You defeated Voldemort, and you're still scared of the girl's father!_

Arthur smiled encouragingly. He knew what Harry wanted and what the boy was going through. He'd been exactly like him when he'd gone to the Prewetts' to ask for Molly's parents' approval, if not worse. He'd been so intimidated by her older brother Fabian that he'd forgotten how to speak coherently. They'd almost refused him that time. 'Go on, son. Ask away.'

Harry, glancing at Arthur's expression, felt a small surge of confidence and quickly ploughed on. 'I want to ask Ginny to marry me. Would you, and Mrs Weasley, give us your blessing?'

'Of course! But on one condition – you have to tell me how those Muggle contraptions – whatd'youcallem? Ah yes, aeroplanes! – stay up in the air. Agreed?'

'Agreed. Thank you so much!' Harry was practically floating on cloud nine.

'My pleasure. I can see my only daughter is in extremely safe hands! Now, how do we tell Molly?' mused Arthur. 'She'll go over the top, so we have to break it to her gently…'

...

'… and then he said, "_It was an Enlargement Charm!" _I mean, how stupid could he get?' Both of them roared with laughter. Ron was recounting some of the weirdest things he'd seen people do in the areas where he'd been assigned.

The two friends were in The Lucky Dragon, the nearby pub, and had already drunk five large goblets of Firewhiskey each, and were now on their sixth. (The tavern was quiet as it had already closed, but since they were regulars there, the barman shut shop for them a while later.)

A companionable silence now hung between them.

'You're quiet.' Ron commented.

'Yeah… just thinking. About life, I guess.'

'Oh. Yeah. The right evening to have these sort of thoughts, innit?'

'It's been _four years, _Ron. _Four years _since Fred died. Since Tonks. Remus, Colin. All those others. The lives they never could've had. And here I am, about to ask the girl of my dreams to marry me. It just… makes you think from that perspective, doesn't it?'

Ron thought about it. 'It does. I mean, what if, ten years from now, another Voldemort rises? What will happen to our children? I don't want them to go through what we did. '

Harry said nothing for a while. Then: 'But that's what friends are for, eh? To help you through your good, bad and ugly. Here's to our friendship!'

They both drank deeply, and as they set down their goblets, Harry sighed.

'We've known each other ten years. _Ten years._ Can you believe that? I never thought I'd last this long ever since I heard about Voldemort's existence!'

Ron chuckled. 'Yeah, well, seeing as we're friends with you, mate, Hermione and I never thought we had much of a chance, either!'

They laughed uproariously. Then there was quiet. At last, Ron stretched and said, 'C'mon, Harry. We'd better go home now, Mum will be furious if we stay longer. I don't think she understands we're adults yet.'

They thanked Bob the barman profusely, then set off for the Burrow, breathing in the warm May air and feeling a little melancholy.

...

Harry woke up in his bed in Percy's old room (the Weasleys had converted it into a room for him; Percy hardly came over these days, as he was extremely busy with his wife Audrey and his adorable year-old kid, as well as with his job in the Ministry, so he had insisted that Harry take his room) with a throbbing headache. _Oof. That hurts A LOT. Remind me never to drink so much Firewhiskey again. _

Suddenly, he was hit with a bright white light that seemed to emanating from somewhere near the window, so he scrunched up his eyes. As if that wasn't enough, he was then assaulted by a blur of orange and blue. _Was that a meteorite? Ugh._

'HARRY!' a female voice yelled. Who could _that _be? Pulling on his glasses, he saw that it was Ginny Weasley. His amazing, _amazing_ girlfriend.

_What? She's back early!_

She climbed onto his stomach and, quite literally, attacked him.

'Hey, Gin. Welcome back!' he replied, a little groggily. She kissed him firmly, and Harry laughed, both of them rolling over so that he was on top of her.

'You have _no _idea how much I've missed you, Ginny,' he murmured softly.

'And I missed you.' She wormed her hands through his tangled black hair and began combing it gently with her fingers.

'Oh-kay… Ginny Weasley, would you _please _get off me? I have a _terrible_ headache, dear, largely caused by those six large goblets of Firewhiskey I drank with your brother last night, so can I clean up before we do anything… _else_?' he smiled slyly. As she did so grudgingly, he slid off the bed and walked over to the bathroom.

'Oh, okay. I s'pose. Take a shower while you're at it, too. You stink.' She wrinkled her nose.

He gave her the thumbs-up since he was too busy brushing his teeth to speak.

Ginny sighed and sat up on the bed. It sure was great to be back at the Burrow. She'd missed her family and, of course, Harry, badly. Her flat in London was a nice one, but nothing compared to the feeling of being _home_. Harry lived nearby in London too, but since he was hardly at home (always off on some assignment or the other), along with her busy schedule, they could only meet at the Burrow. There were also the rare times that they were both in their respective flats on the same day, so one of them came over and they had a quiet evening – dinner, a good book (Harry had now inculcated the habit of reading in himself, all thanks to Hermione), and then they'd be off to bed. They usually never had time for anything else; they'd both be completely drained.

She called over the sound of running water, 'So what brings you here?'

'Oh, that? I had to ask your dad something, so I Apparated over yesterday morning. Pretty neat, huh? I found out that you were going to come today, just in time!' his muffled voice shouted back.

'In time for _what?' _she demanded. She had not failed to notice the joy in his voice at the last sentence.

'Just, um, something I have planned for us tomorrow. It's a surprise.'

'Harry _Potter._ You _know _I hate surprises. What _is it_?!'

He didn't reply. Instead, he started singing a song Ginny loved, a song by the Muggle band Coldplay, called 'Swallowed in the Sea'. She soon forgot about the fact that she was mad at him for keeping something from her and lost herself in the feeling of listening to his rich, melodious voice.

_You cut me down a tree, and brought it back to me,_

_And that's what made me see where I was going wrong._

_You put me on a shelf, and kept me for yourself,_

_I can only blame myself, you can only blame me._

He sang quite well when he was in the mood for it, but he never let anyone else know. It was something he shared only with her, and she felt special when she thought of that. Sometimes, when he was singing, she would add her own, equally tuneful voice to his, and together, their songs would fill the empty flat and make it come alive. It was beautiful. It was _them_.

_And I could write a song a hundred miles long,_

_Well, that's where I belong, and you belong with me._

_And I could write it down, and spread it all around,_

_Get lost and then get found,_

_Or swallowed in the sea…_

Before long, the shower stopped and Harry stepped out of the bathroom door – a towel slung low down his waist, his muscular chest bare, droplets of water clinging to his dark hair. Ginny's breath hitched. _Wow._ She bit her lip hard. It was all she could do to stop herself from jumping on top of him and pinning him down on the bed.

'Ahhh, that felt so good.' He shook the water from his hair like a dog would and put on a spare t-shirt and a pair of shorts, since it was a warm day. Ginny got up off the bed and, taking his hand, led him down the stairs for breakfast.

...

After the demolition of breakfast, they retired to the bedroom once again, and did not reappear until tea-time. They went downstairs, guessing that Hermione had arrived (owing to Ron's sudden shout of happiness emanating from the living room), and entered the room just in time to find a major Ron-Hermione snog-fest in full flow with no sign of stopping.

They quietly went and stood by the door, looking in amusement at the sight. Harry slipped his arm around the youngest Weasley's waist, as she glanced up at him and flashed him a smile. The passionate duo did not even hear them enter.

Harry cleared his throat loudly and the sound reverberated in the (largely) quiet room. Ron and Hermione jumped and sprang apart. Both of them blushed furiously – Ron, a shade resembling an overripe plum, and Hermione, a brilliant tomato red.

'Bloody _hell_, mate. Don't _ever_ do that again. You couldn't have knocked, or something?' Ron growled.

'You lovebirds needed to cool off! What better way than to surprise you like that? Besides, your expressions were totally worth it.' Harry grinned. Ginny laughed along.

'Ginny! Harry! How _are _you guys?' Hermione said as she rushed over to hug them both.

'Really good, 'Mione.'

'We're great, Hermione. Listen, can I have a quick word alone? Er – _now?_' Ginny asked, anxious to talk to her. 'Boys – get moving. Go on.'

Once the room was clear and Hermione had cast the Muffliato spell around them, she asked, 'What is it, Ginny? Is anything wrong?'

'Not wrong, exactly, it's just that… Harry's been acting overly happy today, and he mentioned in the morning that he had a "surprise" for me tomorrow. D'you know _why _he's so happy and what the "surprise" is?'

Hermione chuckled; Ginny would always be the same headfast, stubborn person. She'd never had patience for surprises of any sort. She should've known she'd ask.

She believed that they were ready for it – to take the plunge, to venture into the woods. They deserved it, after all that they'd been through. They deserved a happy ending.

'Sorry, Gin. It's a surprise, and I'm not going to reveal it to you. Trust in Harry. One thing, though – a lake is involved.'

'A _lake?_' Ginny's mind went into overdrive, thinking of all the possible lakes they'd been to together. Three leapt out at her – the Black Lake at Hogwarts, the lake near Ottery St Catchpole, and a lake in Scotland he'd taken her to for their first anniversary.

'Don't spoil it for yourself, Gin! Learn to wait for it!' Hermione sang. Her eyes twinkled as she removed the spell and left the room.

As she'd suspected, Harry and Ron had used Extendable Ears to try to listen to their conversation, but her spell had stopped them. _Boys._

'What was that all about?' the former demanded.

'Just a chat between two close friends. Nothing more. You don't need to know.'

...

It was a little after 11 pm. Harry and Ginny were in bed (Ginny hardly ever slept in her own room anymore - whenever she visited the Burrow, that is). They were talking about the battle again. How much had changed since then, how much could never be the same.

'You were the one that kept me going. The only reason for me to keep on fighting him, even after I'd lost all hope. It was _you._ Even in the Forest of Dean, seeing your dot on the Marauders' Map, safe at Hogwarts, _that _was the only thing that kept me sane. I – I don't know what I'd have done if you'd died – or…'

Ginny gently took his hand and intertwined her fingers with his.

'But we survived, didn't we? We're together now. Nothing can _ever _tear us apart.' she murmured softly.

Harry hummed in response. He kissed her once and held her tightly in her arms as she drifted off to sleep. Soon, he, too, let his exhaustion take over him. His dreams, though, were far from peaceful.

It was the same nightmare again, even after so many months…

'_Well, who do we have here? Ah, young Ginevra Weasley, Harry Potter's beloved.' Voldemort's voice hissed._

_Ginny was struggling to fight off the Death Eaters holding her without any success. They were too strong._

'_No! Ginny!' Harry cried, rushing towards her, except he couldn't rush. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, everything except Voldemort and the immediate circle around him, including Ginny._

'_I have something special planned for you, Ginny Weasley. You will get not a big audience. Such beauty… should not be spoilt and seen by others.'_

'_Don't take her! Take me instead! Please!'_

_Voldemort sneered as he raised his wand._

'_Harry!' Ginny screamed desperately. Harry watched, helpless. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, he could do to save her. Voldemort's spell seemed to prevent any kind of magic, too. _

'_Say your goodbyes, Harry Potter.'_

_A flash of green, and the next moment, she was a lifeless doll, a puppet. The Death Eaters let her go. She fell unceremoniously to the ground._

_A wolf howled into the cold night._

'_Noooooooooo!'_

Harry shouted as he shot up in bed, awake. He was covered with sweat and panting.

'Harry? Are you alright? What's the matter?' Ginny asked at once, concerned. She'd been woken by Harry's shout.

'Ginny. You're here.' he said, gripping her hand tightly. 'There was Voldemort and the Death Eaters and they… you… I thought I'd lost you.'

'Harry, calm down. There, that's it. Take a deep breath. I'm right here. I won't go anywhere. I'll always be there for you.' She said in a soothing voice, making small, relaxing circles on the back of his hand with her thumb. 'It was the same nightmare again, wasn't it?'

He nodded. 'I love you, Ginny.' She needed to know, even though she already did.

'And I love you. Now, go back to sleep, okay? You have a surprise for me tomorrow, remember?'

'Yeah. Mmkay.' Harry laid his head on the pillow.

The rest of the night went without incident.

...

The next day, Harry woke up in high spirits. It was as if the previous night's nightmare hadn't ever occurred.

_Today was the day._

'Wakey-wakey, sleeping beauty!' he sang.

'Ugh, what is it? Why are you talking so loud?' she asked grumpily. Harry laughed. Ginny wasn't much of a morning person.

'It's a beautiful day and I think you should be up to see it. C'mon!'

'Fiiiiiiiiine.'

After all their bodily business and breakfast was done, Harry took the picnic basket he'd packed the previous evening and went, with Ginny, to the edge of the wards extending around the house.

'Now close your eyes. I'm going to blindfold you. Got it?' Harry said cheerfully, tying a black piece of cloth around her eyes. He really was in a fantastic mood today.

'But why?' Ginny whined.

'Oh, you'll find out soon enough. We have to Apparate now.'

He took her hand and they both turned on their heels. Harry had one destination in mind.

They arrived, after a few uncomfortable minutes, at a scenic lake with lush green grass all around it. The sun was shining brightly for a change, which was perfect for Harry's plan. He took Ginny's blindfold off.

Ginny gasped as she took in the scene before her. 'It's the lake in Scotland! I _knew _it!'

'I wanted to spend an entire day just by ourselves. I thought you'd enjoy it.'

'It's amazing! Thank you so much!' She threw her arms around him and gave him a big kiss.

He just grinned. He started setting up their picnic. He spread the tablecloth on the edge of the bank of the lake, and then took out the things they would require.

After everything was done, he led Ginny by the hand and helped her onto the cloth.

'You are too kind, good sir.' She said, dropping a mock curtsey.

'Why, it was my pleasure, Milady.' He bowed.

They both laughed and plopped onto the sheet.

'So, why have you brought me here again?' she said, breaking the short silence.

'All in good time, Ms Weasley. For now, just enjoy the beautiful view.'

And it was indeed beautiful. This was one of the few spots untouched by humans (except for them); a lake still exactly as Nature had created it. Ginny wondered how Harry had found it. She loved him even more for gauging her mood exactly – she put out that she loved noise and loud music (which she did), but she loved peace and quiet even more. This change of scenery was exactly what she needed. It was perfect.

The entire day was spent in bliss – eating the delicious food (it was her mother who'd cooked it, after all), dipping her toes in the delightfully cold water, sitting on Harry's lap as he stroked her hair, and feeling his soft, steady heartbeat against her palm. She was content, and there was nothing in the world that she would trade for the complete happiness she was feeling right now.

It was near sundown when Harry decided to make his move.

'Ginny?'

'Hmm?'

'Could you, um, stand up for a bit? I need to do something.'

Oh… okay.' She got up off his lap.

He fumbled in his jeans' pocket, looking for that little black velvet box.

'Have you lost anything?'

He finally found it. He took it out and hid it in his hands so she could not see.

'No, nothing. It's fine.'

'Are you done? Can I sit down now?'

'No, remain standing for a while please, Ginny.'

She was bemused, but agreed. She looked down at him, wondering what on earth he was doing.

He got up on one knee, gazed up at her face and started speaking in the most loving voice she'd ever heard. She then realised exactly what was happening.

'We first met when I was 12, and you were 11, and frankly, until I was sixteen, I never really thought of you as anything more than my best friend's little sister. In hindsight, I realise that was pretty terrible of me. But I am ever so fortunate that you gave me a chance and we got together. It was terrible timing, too, with Voldemort knocking on our doors and Dumbledore dead.

It was at this precise spot that, two years ago, you told me that you loved me. It was from that moment that you became my rock, my only link to sanity, my life. I love you more than anything else. Ginevra Molly Weasley, will you do me the honour of being my wife?'

Ginny was unable to hide her tears. They streamed down her face like two parallel rivers of joy. One hand was over her mouth, the other falling limply at her side. Her eyes were wide, shining with more unshed tears. She could not believe this was happening. What she'd dreamed of, since she was eleven and first met Harry, was finally coming true.

'Yes!'

And the band slipped onto her finger as if it was destined to fit there.

x—x

**A/N:** I realise the ending was quite abrupt, but it was the best I could come up with, since I'd practically _abandoned_ this story. And the title comes from this phrase my soul sister always quotes - 'If turtles could fly, all my dreams would come true'. I thought it'd be perfect for this fic, so thanks to her, I guess.


End file.
